About Me
I am a scholar, educator, consultant, and activist with experience in Francophone Studies, Middle East Studies, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, and International Law. I earned two doctoral degrees: SJD in International Law from Penn State Dickinson Law and PhD in Francophone Studies from Florida State University. I also hold a Master’s degree in International Law and Human Rights from Université de Rouen in France, and a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Université Saint-Joseph in Lebanon.
My research is interdisciplinary and primarily focuses on the Middle East on North Africa. Some of the topics I research and teach include: international law & terrorism, issues of statehood, armed conflicts, State, and Non-State actors, international humanitarian law, colonial & post-colonial relations in the Francophone world, women’s rights in the Middle East, and oral history.
Several of my articles appeared in peer-reviewed national and international journals.
My first book Gendering Civil War. Francophone Women’s Writing in Lebanon, for which I earned the AAUW American Fellowship, was published with Edinburgh University Press (March 2022) and was nominated for the John Leonard Prize.
My second book Hezbollah in International Law examines Hezbollah’s legal status as a State or non-State actor in Lebanon and in the context of armed conflict (Israel and Syria). It also studies Hezbollah’s unlawful activities in Lebanon since 1982 and State responsibility; it is forthcoming with Edinburgh University Press in December 2025.
My most recent research project focuses on the Beirut barracks bombing of 1983 that killed 241 American servicemembers and 58 French parachutists. In this project, I explore gaps in memory laws, oral history, and veterans’ stories.
I have given numerous public talks and podcast interviews, and I am a media commentator with frequent appearances on NPR, Voice of America, Business Insider, France 24, TRT World, BBC Arabic, ABC Australia, and Newzroom Afrika. I am a regular contributor to several news outlets including The Conversation, which is an independent news organization.
I speak three languages: Arabic/Levantine Dialect, French, and English.
I am an American Red Cross volunteer, where I teach International Humanitarian Law.
Contact
Email: rebeizm@dickinson.edu
Socials: LinkedIn